Consequences
by Kunoichi21
Summary: When Roxas and his siblings are in a terrible car crash at the hands of one of Roxas' old friends, they are overwhelmed with grief. With Axel's help, can Roxas learn to forgive and move on? It's a long and arduous road, but Axel is determined to get him to the end. And maybe he can teach Roxas to open his heart up and love him along the way. CHARACTER DEATH. AkuRoku Riku/Nami
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: I'm keeping this note short and sweet. Just wanted to give a quick warning here.

**Warnings**: This particular story does contain character death, serious injury, and eventual boy-love. If any of these is offensive to you, I recommend hitting the back button now. That being said, if you're set on reading this, please drop a review for me and let me know if I need to improve anything.

**Disclaimer**: The cover image is courtesy of Noririn-Hayashi on deviantart. If I owned Kingdom Hearts, or any of these characters (including some FF characters), do you really think I'd be writing fanfiction about them? Didn't think so.

* * *

"You asshole," Roxas muttered as his redheaded best friend beat him at another round of Super Smash Brothers. Axel snorted.

"You're just upset because you can't beat me, but that doesn't make me an asshole."

"It does when you hit me and send the character flying off the screen _every_ damn time," the blonde scowled at him.

"Okay fine, it makes me an asshole. What did you expect from me though?" Axel's trademark smirk was fixed on his face.

Sighing, Roxas said, "I don't know." He was being a sore loser. But it was hard _not_ to be when Axel really did beat him every round, every time they played this game. He was about to say something else when he heard his phone blaring his sister's ringtone out of his pocket.

He pulled the phone from his pocket, swiping his thumb across the screen to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"_Hey Roxas! I was just letting you know that I'm on my way to come pick you up. I've got Ven already, and we're gonna go meet mom and dad for dinner. I'll be there in about five minutes, so make sure you're ready, okay?_"

"Sounds good. I'll see you soon."

"_Alright. I love you!_"

"I love you too, Nam."

He quickly hung up the phone, searching for his shoes in the redhead's room.

"Was that Naminé?" Axel asked from his spot on the floor.

"Yea, she's gonna be here in a few minutes to pick me up. I gotta get my stuff together. Except I can't seem to find my other shoe." He bent down to search under the bed. He called a triumphant 'Aha!' when he pulled his other converse sneaker free from the clutches of the rabid dust-bunnies under Axel's bed.

"How did your shoe find its way under my bed?" Axel sounded just as confused as Roxas felt.

"I have no idea. But help me get my homework together, please?"

Axel did just that, grabbing all the loose papers from his desk and sorting out the ones that belonged to him. That was relatively easy, since his handwriting resembled chicken-scratch, while Roxas' looked similar to a girl's handwriting with how neat it was. He put the papers in the blonde's notebook folder as Roxas was finishing straightening up the books in his bag.

Axel handed him the three-subject notebook which was unceremoniously stuffed in his bag as neatly as it could be. Roxas zipped his bag closed, making sure he still had his wallet in his back pocket and cell phone in his right-side front pocket. He heard the sound of a car horn honking, letting him know that his sister had arrived.

The two teenage boys walked downstairs, where Roxas could hear Axel's mom in the kitchen with the redhead's older brother Reno. Sounded like they were making dinner.

"Are you leaving, Roxas?" She called.

"Yea, my sister's here with Ven in the car."

"Alright, well, be safe! See you tomorrow?"

"Sure thing, Mrs. V!" Roxas smiled to the rather short woman.

"Now, Roxas, really. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Yuffie?" She smiled back at him.

"As many times as it takes, ma'am."

"Now you're just doing it to make me feel old," she playfully observed. Yuffie Valentine was still very youthful looking, despite the fact that both of her sons were fast approaching their twenties. Reno was on the cusp of it, being nineteen. Axel had just turned seventeen. "Whatever, I'll see you tomorrow, Roxas." And with that, she retreated back into the kitchen to finish making whatever dish.

Axel continued to lead his best friend to the front door, Roxas promising to text the redhead after he got back home from wherever he was meeting his parents. The redhead disappeared back inside as Roxas stepped off the porch, backpack strapped securely to him.

"Hey Ven, hey Nam," he said while casually putting his book bag in the backseat next to his ten year old brother. As he was doing so, his very pregnant sister got out of the driver's seat.

"Hi Rox. Do you think you could drive to the restaurant? My back started hurting from the way I had to sit while I drove, and I don't think I could make it that far if I drove from here." Naminé was about seven months pregnant with her current boyfriend's child and was rather large.

Roxas agreed and walked around the back of the vehicle while Naminé walked around the front, sliding into the passenger seat gingerly. Roxas was a little nervous – he didn't have his license yet, only a permit – but he wasn't going to let it show. He was a safe driver and knew better than to be distracted by anything, except maybe music. After adjusting the seat a little bit and fixing his mirrors where he could see behind him, he pulled out of the rock driveway of Axel's house, heading away from the dead-end and back out towards the highway. He hated that Axel lived so far out in the sticks, because he had to take a very specific route to get there.

Roxas made it to the highway and his posture became a little stiffer. He'd only driven on the highway two other times, and that had been with his dad teaching him. He heard Naminé laugh, and he assumed it was at how ridiculous he probably looked. He was about to say something when the phone in his sister's hands started ringing; it was most likely her boyfriend.

The pregnant blonde turned the radio down to answer.

"Hey Riku!" Roxas was right about the call being Naminé's boyfriend. Roxas was a little wary of the silver-haired man, but he never approved of anyone interested in his sister. He always thought she was too good for all her exes, but so far, Riku was in his good graces, despite getting his sister pregnant while she was studying to become a nurse.

He'd zoned out for part of the one-sided conversation.

"Yea, I'll come meet you after dinner. I've got Roxas and Ven with me now, so after I drop them off with my parents, I'll come over… No, Roxas is driving right now… My back started hurting… A back massage sounds great, actually… No, there's no backing out of it now; I'm holding you to it… Alright. I'll see you later. I love you, Riku… 'Kay, bye!" She hung up, going back to texting her best friend, Kairi.

Ven spoke up from the backseat, "You're not coming home for the night?"

"Sorry, Ven, but I told Riku I'd help him study for a big test he's got tomorrow."

"But you're gonna miss family game night!" The ten year old sounded like the world was going to end because his sister wasn't going to be home for their family's Thursday night tradition – after dinner, they always gathered together to play some kind of board game, like the Logo Quiz, or Would You Rather.

"I know, Ventus, I'm sorry. But Riku really needs my help tonight. The test he's taking is going to be worth a large part of his grade and I want him to do well so he can continue getting grants for school."

Ven huffed a pouty 'fine' and let the topic drop.

"Hey, cheer up! I'll be there for next week's game night; I'm sure missing one won't mess things up for you guys." Naminé turned around in her seat to face her youngest brother, ruffling his hair. "Now come on, put on a smile for me. Please?" At that, Ven gave a small smile and attempted to put his hair back how it was – not that that was hard to do anyway. His hair did the same thing as Roxas' did and swept itself to the right thanks to all the cowlicks the boys both had.

As Naminé turned back to face the right way, they started down a small, curving hill in the road. When they reached the bottom, Roxas became even more nervous. He could see, down the road a little ways that the car headed in the other direction of this two-lane road was apparently having difficulty staying straight.

"Uh, Nami," he sounded a little scared.

"I see them Roxas. But we're just going to have to pray they stay in their lane, because there's no shoulder for you to pull off on to let them pass. If they start crossing the lines, honk, okay?" She kept the slightly frazzled driver calm enough to answer with a small 'okay' from his seat.

In the other car, the driver happened to be one of Roxas' friends from middle school, Hayner. Now, Hayner had been driving long enough to be comfortable doing so – so unlike Roxas. Hayner was also notorious for being on his phone while he drove; he often joked that he was invincible, especially after having beat his old rival Seifer in a struggle match four summers ago, and every summer since. His girlfriend, also one of Roxas' old friends – Olette – was constantly telling him to keep his phone in the console of his car if he was driving, so he wouldn't be distracted. He never followed her advice.

_From: Olette  
__6:59 PM_

_You're not driving now, are you?_

He typed out a one-word reply, saying yes.

His phone buzzed again moments later.

_From: Olette  
__7:00 PM_

_Hayner! Why don't you ever listen to me when I tell you not to text and drive?!_

_To: Olette  
__7:00 PM_

_ill b ok lette_

As he was hitting the send button, his passenger, and longtime friend Pence shouted from his seat, "Dude! Look out," when he put his phone away, realizing that they'd crossed the double yellow lines into the other lane.

A second after Pence's outburst, Roxas laid on the horn, not realizing that it was too late. He tried to swerve the car further to the outside of his lane, just as the car crashed into his side, pointing him in the direction of a light pole, which Naminé's side of the car struck hard. The airbags immediately deployed from the impact, jarring the blonde siblings and knocking them unconscious momentarily. Ven, in his hurry to get away from the impending doom had removed his seat belt to sit in the seat behind his sister, being halfway across the bench when the collision happened, and hitting his head on the passenger side window, cracking the glass and falling unconscious as well.

In Hayner's car, the dirty blonde had tried to brake but was unable. When he hit the other vehicle, his seatbelt held him back, but his head snapped forward, hitting the steering wheel. His airbags didn't deploy. He and Pence were sprayed with the glass of the windshield, the chubby brunette guarding his face with his arms. His heart was pounding a mile a minute in his chest, adrenaline having kicked into overdrive. He was still breathing hard when the truck in the southbound lane came suddenly upon the accident, attempting to swerve onto the shoulder of the northbound lane, but instead not turning soon enough to do so – hitting Pence's side of the car head on. Pence screamed as his window broke against the force of the second collision and fell into the welcoming blackness of unconsciousness.

* * *

**A/N**: Hi guys! So, I know the last thing I need to be doing is starting yet another story when I still need to work on the others I have in progress, but I couldn't help it; this particular plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone.

So anyway, let me fill you in on what's been happening with my life! Right at the end of August, I was offered a second job, which I accepted because I wasn't getting enough hours at my first job. I was then called in for an interview for a third job (and offered the position), through my university to sell tickets to the sporting events, which I accepted as well. I was keeping very busy with those jobs, as well as school. I figured that after December, things would slow down some for me; NOT what happened. I was taking 15 credit hours of classes, and still working all three of my jobs. At the end of January/beginning of February, I got into a rather large fight with my mom about the relationship I was in at the time. So now I'm living with my grandparents. Classes are finally over (and I admit, I didn't do well at all...). I broke things off with my now ex-girlfriend and I'm still trying to mend the relationship enough to where we can be friends, but it's hard. I've never been very amicable with exes in the past. Anyway.

I've been offered a paid internship with the Division of Youth Services, starting for the summer. I have no idea how that's going to play out, as I'm still waiting to hear back about my background check. If everything comes back and I can start, I'm planning on quitting at least two of my jobs. That being said, I want you guys to know why I haven't been around all that much. I am still planning to finish my other stories, at some point in time. The only reason I've even been able to start this one is because I haven't worked since Sunday and I'm not working again until Thursday. So I had a bit of free time.

Anyway, please let me know what you think of this so far; it is going to be a chaptered story, and I'm going to start on chapter 2 immediately after this is posted.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ugh… what happened?" Hayner spoke softly, blearily opening his eyes. His head was pounding. He vaguely remembered the seconds before the crash before becoming more alert. And then the flashes of his memory started. Pence's yell. Hitting the other car. "Oh shit!"

He looked over at his brown-haired companion, seeing the brunette slumped over in the seat. He yelled, "Pence? Pence! Wake up! Come on, please," he started begging. He started crying, the shock of everything kicking in. He hollered out of the hole the windshield left, "Help! Someone, help!" His body felt cold and numb as it sank in that _he_ did this. He wailed, reverting to a line of psychological defense used by small children, calling for his mom.

The driver of the truck that hit his car managed to get out of his pickup, and Hayner could hear him speaking with emergency responders. His ears started ringing and he was breathing quickly, like he'd just run a marathon. Hyperventilation. He blacked out as he heard a distant wail of sirens, likely coming for everyone. One last thought broke through before he slipped. _I'm sorry_.

~o~

As Roxas was opening his eyes, all he was aware of was pain. Everywhere. He couldn't remember what had happened. He saw flashes of red and blue, not understanding the meaning of the lights. He heard muffled talking, but he couldn't make out what was being said. Despite the pain in his neck, he looked over to the right, taking in the sight of his sister with glass embedded in her skin, lacerations decorating her stomach thanks to the airbags pushing the broken glass of the window into her. Blood stained her clothes and her left arm was draped over her stomach, as if that would shield it from any harm.

He tried to speak, "V-Ven? Na-mi?" He got no responses. He tried again, "Ventus," his voice came out in a whisper. "Ven, can you hear me?" He looked as far into the backseat as his neck allowed him to, seeing only an arm laying in the seat, the rest of his little brother's body on the floor. Then he registered the giant bloodstain on the window, highlighting the cracks in the glass.

Roxas tried to move then, which caught the attention of the rescuers outside. One called to his team, "Hey, this one's moving!" Three of the paramedics and firefighters made their way over, and one tried to get his attention.

"Kid, hey! I need you to stop moving! You're gonna do more damage," he tried to speak as calmly as he could, knowing that if he sounded anything _but_ calm, it would send Roxas faster into shock.

"Hey, kid!" The paramedic reached into the car, setting a gloved hand on Roxas' shoulder, grounding Roxas enough to realize that there was someone trying to talk to him. "Listen to me, okay? If you keep trying to move, you might make more problems for yourself. I need you to sit still," Roxas followed the instructions, looking like a deer in the headlights. "Can you tell me your name, son?"

"Roxas… Roxas Strife." He was trying hard not to cry.

"Okay, Roxas, that's good. Who's with you in your car?" The blonde gulped down his fear for the time being. He was vaguely aware of the firefighters messing around with the equipment, knowing that they were acquiring the Jaws of Life.

"My sister, Naminé. She's seven months pregnant, you have to get her out! And… And my brother, Ventus; he's in the backseat. You have to get them first, please!" Roxas was working himself up into hysteria.

"Roxas, listen to me. You have to calm down. I know this is scary and we're doing everything we can to get you three out, but you have to stay calm. Can you do that?" The paramedic kept his hands on Roxas' head, keeping him from moving it.

"Okay…" Roxas sniffled, feeling the tears run down his cheeks. He was trying to even out his breathing again; trying not to sob.

"Alright, now, my partner is going to put a brace around your neck, to make sure it's stable. Will you hold your head still if I take my hands away?"

"Uh-huh." The paramedic removed his hands, allowing his partner to reach in and secure the ugly, white brace around his neck, keeping his head fixed in one position.

As that was being done, the paramedic who had been talking with him was telling the other responders about his siblings. He came back over to Roxas.

"Roxas, can you tell me where it hurts? I need to know what kind of injuries you have."

"Um… it's everywhere… and… I can't… I can't feel my legs. Oh God, I can't feel my legs!"

"Hey, Roxas, calm down! _Calm down!_ Take a deep breath with me, okay? In," he breathed in deeply, pulling Roxas back out of his hysteria. "And out."

Roxas mimicked the paramedic, breathing deeply like he was told. He kept doing that, forcing himself to remain calm.

The paramedic – whose name Roxas could see was written on a nameplate on the uniform as A. Jones – called out, "We've got a possible spinal cord injury over here!" The words didn't make sense in Roxas' mind.

It was at this point in time that Naminé regained consciousness. She was alert almost immediately, whimpering loudly before letting out a scream. There was a wetness between her legs, but she couldn't tell if it was from blood or if her water had broken.

"N-Nam! Naminé!" Roxas desperately wanted to look over at his sister, but the brace around his neck kept him from doing just that. He reached his arm over, grabbing her arm and slowly pulling it towards him, managing to twine his fingers with hers. He squeezed and held tight to her, wishing he could do more. "Nami… Please don't cry…"

Roxas could tell she was about to go into shock. He looked to Jones, careful to not try to move his neck. "You have to help her, please." Her sobs were breaking Roxas' heart even more.

Jones nodded and went around to the passenger side of the car. He spoke calmly to Naminé, not wanting to upset her further. Roxas continued breathing deeply. In, out. He was startled when he heard the squeaking and groaning of the car, knowing that the firefighters were prying the passenger door open to save his sister and, hopefully, her baby. Finally, Naminé squeezed his hand back.

"Roxas… Roxas are you okay?" Leave it to her to put others before herself. She couldn't look over, thanks to the brace they'd secured around her neck as well.

"Yea, Nam. I'm okay."

"I don't hear Ven… Roxas, why don't I hear Ven?" Her voice wavered, sounding watery. She was doing her best to remain calm, following her brother's example. Deep breath in, and let it out.

"I don't know, Nam," tears continued leaking down his cheeks. He sniffed.

The process was excruciatingly slow – or so it seemed. Finally, they were able to remove the passenger door and they cut the seatbelt, pulling it off. They set to work cutting the roof of the car off so that they would be able to slide the yellow boards into the destroyed vehicle and get the blonde siblings to the hospital. When they managed to remove the roof, the back doors came open easily. One of the paramedics leaned in, and Roxas was thinking, _Thank God! They're gonna save Ven!_

"I don't have a pulse for this one…" The paramedic spoke into his radio, "I have a child, male, about nine or ten years old, DOA." There was a static-y response from the other end of the radio.

None of that mattered to Roxas. He'd gotten hung up on the words 'no pulse' and the world felt like it was spinning. Ven… Didn't make it? Finally, Roxas allowed himself to break down. He sobbed, and he sobbed _hard_. What would happen now? Someone needed to call his parents… His entire body felt numb. Roxas went into shock.

Naminé felt her entire world crumbling around her. She'd heard those words that meant her youngest brother was dead. She muttered silently, "No… not Ven." Her chest heaved, the trauma making her puke. She coughed as she expelled bile. Everything went black after that.

The paramedics and firefighters were able to get the yellow backboards into the car, behind both of the older siblings and free them from the wreckage. The other vehicle, which held Hayner and Pence was already empty, those two having been transported twenty minutes ago. Roxas and Naminé were loaded onto gurneys and strapped down for transport. As they were put into the two waiting ambulances, a coroner arrived. With help, Ven's lifeless body was removed from the vehicle and laid out on the road, and then finally zipped into a black body bag. Police hung their heads in sadness. They held a moment of silence as the ambulances sped off towards Traverse Town Mercy Hospital.

* * *

**A/N**: So here we have a brief layout of injuries and what happened to each character. Aside from Mr. Truck Driver, Hayner suffered the least amount of injuries. It always seems to happen that way, doesn't it? The person who causes the wreck is the one who makes it out with scratches and bruises and such. Anyway, I hope you all can get a real feel for the emotions and the guilt I tried to convey. Again, leave me a review if you liked it, or if you see an error or something. Pretty please?


	3. Chapter 3

While the two surviving siblings were being rushed to the hospital, Naminé's phone started to ring. The paramedic nearest to it lifted it up, seeing a picture of a woman with long brownish-black hair, and MOM flashing across the screen. He took a chance and answered it.

"Hello, are you Naminé Strife's mother?" he spoke in a serious tone of voice.

"_Yes… Who is this? Where's Naminé?_"

"Ma'am, my name is Terra Bryant. I'm a paramedic for Traverse Town. Your children were involved in an accident on Highway V. Another vehicle crashed into them. You should make any calls you need to and meet us at Traverse Town Mercy Hospital."

"_Wh… what? No… That's… You… You're lying to me. My babies are fine! They have to be…_" There was a man's voice talking to the obviously distraught mother. A very distinct sob could be heard and then the man was speaking to Terra.

"_I need you to tell me what just happened with my wife. She just broke down sobbing and I missed whatever the conversation was. All she said was 'he's lying' and I can't get any more out of her._"

"Listen, I'm a paramedic for Traverse Town. All you need to know is that your kids were struck by another vehicle and we're taking them to Traverse Town Mercy Hospital. I'll make sure to radio ahead so that the doctors know you're coming. And… I'm so sorry I had to break this news to you…"

"_No… thank you for letting us know. I just need to know… is Naminé going to make it? And her baby?_"

"I can't say one way or the other right now. She has some extensive damage to her right leg, and we're working to get the bleeding on her stomach under control, but I can't tell you anything about the baby. The hospital will know more."

The man on the other end of the phone started sniffling, his voice sounding watery as he said, "_Do whatever you have to, to save my little girl._"

"We're trying, sir. We'll see you at the hospital…" The line went dead and Terra's heart went out to those parents. He looked down at Naminé's face, seeing her breath lightly fog up the oxygen mask covering her mouth and nose, and put her phone back into the purse she'd had grasped in her hand.

Terra's partner, Aqua, finally found a vein with which to start an IV for the girl. She hooked up a bag of fluid, as well as a portable heart rate monitor. Thankfully, Naminé was stable, though she was still bleeding quite a bit from the cuts on her stomach, which Terra was trying to extract glass shards from. The way the car's windshield had broken sent glass flying into the car just before the airbags had deployed, which meant that the glass was shoved into the blonde's belly.

Aqua worked on the blonde's seriously mangled leg and got the bleeding under control. She wrapped it in layers of gauze, not wanting to seal it because the doctors would be operating on it. Finally, she put a splint around Naminé's right arm, setting it so that it could be put in a cast when they arrived at the hospital. Traverse Town's ambulances lacked the necessary equipment to check on babies in utero, and they both silently prayed that this wouldn't end the child's life before it began.

By the time they arrived at the hospital, Terra had radioed ahead like he said he would, telling them that the Strife parents would be arriving soon as well and to accommodate them. He and Aqua had managed to remove all the glass from the cuts on Naminé's stomach and clean the wounds and stitch them up.

The doctors and nurses met each ambulance in the emergency drop-off area, being filled in on the situation before exchanging gurneys and equipment and wheeling the siblings off to be operated on, hopefully saving their lives.

Terra and Aqua decided to wait out in the emergency bay until they met with the parents. They weren't left waiting very long. Soon enough, an older model silver sedan drove up, and a man with spikey blonde hair and wide blue eyes stepped out. A woman who looked like the picture on Naminé's phone sat in the car still, tears streaming down her face and her eyes appearing empty. She was in denial.

The blonde man spoke, "Are you the guy I talked to in the ambulance? I'm Naminé's father."

"Yes, sir," Terra responded. "We were the ones who rode with Naminé."

"What's her condition right now?" He seemed frantic.

"Well, like I told you on the phone, her right leg was critically injured, and we managed to get the bleeding to stop on the way over, but while the doctors were moving her to the other gurney, it started again. She had several good-sized glass shards embedded in her stomach from the windshield, but we pulled those out and got the wounds stitched up. Her right arm is broken as well, and we set it in a splint. She was unconscious though I think that was from the shock of everything taking over; she didn't seem to have a concussion though."

And now, the blonde was hesitant. "…And her baby?"

"Our ambulances don't have any ultrasound equipment yet, so we're not really sure of the condition of the baby. I'm so sorry, Mr. Strife." Terra was genuine in his apology. "I know I can't do much else for you, but… why don't you take your wife inside right here; I'll park your car and come find you afterwards."

A few tears slipped out of Cloud's eyes as he said a quick thank you, pulling Tifa out of the car behind him and walking into the hospital. He set his wife down in one of the chairs of the waiting room before heading up to the desk to ask what was going on with his children.

"My name is Cloud Strife; I was told that my children were in an accident and brought here. Their names are Naminé, Roxas, and Ventus." The woman behind the counter offered a quick apology as she looked in the system.

"Okay, it looks like Roxas and Naminé are in surgery right now. I don't see—" She was cut off by a doctor who had come around the corner, knowing exactly who the nurse was talking to.

"Mr. Strife?" He had a deep, commanding voice.

"Yes?" Cloud looked at the man. The doctor had very fair blonde hair and eyes that looked almost coppery. His mustache and beard were graying slightly and he had a few lines in his forehead and around his eyebrows.

"I'm Doctor Wise, but you can call me Ansem. I need you to come with me, please."

That statement was an immediate red flag in Cloud's mind, but he only nodded, grabbing Tifa's hand and pulling her up out of the chair, helping her to walk with him as he followed Ansem down the hall. Before they managed to get to the more private waiting room Ansem was leading them to, Riku came in and caught up. Cloud was thankful to have him there, glad he'd thought to call the silver-haired young man before he and Tifa left the restaurant.

They filed in one-by-one after Ansem, allowing the door to click shut behind them. Riku was tense as he sat down on Tifa's other side, laying his hand over one of hers in her lap. Tifa appeared to be snapping out of her daze as the noise faded into the background. Cloud was holding Tifa's other hand, not wanting to sit.

"Mr. Strife, I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you. I suggest you sit down before I tell you," Ansem's voice was not as booming in the quiet room as it had been out by the desk. Cloud numbly sat down, already fearing what was to be said. Doctor Wise took a seat on the coffee table in front of the chairs the trio occupied.

"From what I heard over our radio, your son Ventus was pronounced dead on arrival. It seems that he died from the impact because he'd removed his seatbelt in the seconds before the collision… I'm so very sorry for your loss, but when the coroner is finished, I'll need you to come down to the morgue to ID the body and then fill out some paperwork. I'll give you some time alone now." He stood, his head low from the news he'd just delivered, and walked out, meeting Terra in the hallway.

The brunette paramedic entered just as Tifa seemed to finally grasp what Doctor Wise said, fresh tears escaping her eyes as she sobbed into Cloud's shoulder. Now it was Cloud's turn to be in denial. He felt the weight of the world coming down on him, and mechanically he moved his arms to hold Tifa's shaking form against him. He silently wept.

Riku let out a quiet 'Oh God…' at the news, a few tears making tracks down his cheeks as he looked up at Terra, sending him a questioning glance.

"I'm not really sure what to do now, but I have their car keys. Here," he said, handing the key ring over. "They're parked in row B about halfway up."

"Thank you…" Riku replied. He was sure that they wouldn't be leaving for a while. The paramedic left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him as he watched the parents grieve. He'd heard the other paramedic announce Ventus' death, but he knew it wasn't his place to say what had happened. He said a small prayer for the family and friends of the victims and went back out to join Aqua on their short break.

Before either of them could say anything, their radios picked up another static-y message. "All first responders, we have an attempted suicide at…" The two partners jumped into their ambulance as dispatch rattled off the address, acknowledging the driver who'd sat in the vehicle while waiting for the next call. They replied to dispatch and headed on their way, leaving the sight of the busy emergency bay in the rearview side mirrors.

* * *

**A/N**: So here, the news of Ventus' death has been delivered, as well as Nami's condition. But what's to become of her baby? And what about Roxas? Cloud and Tifa are in for the worst emotional roller coaster ever. This is something that no parents ever want to experience... If you have any questions about anything, leave them in a review and I'll try to answer as best I can without giving anything away for future chapters. Let me know what you think so far!


	4. Chapter 4

The hours ticked by very slowly for Cloud, Tifa, and Riku. Riku had to call his school so that he would be excused from the test he was supposed to be studying for. Thank goodness they had someone in the office late on Thursday nights.

It was just past midnight when someone else came to find the trio to update them. This doctor had platinum blonde hair and large green eyes. He was a lot shorter than Doctor Wise.

"Are you here for Roxas and Naminé?" He asked. They all nodded.

"I'm Doctor Evans; I'm overseeing the care that those two receive. I've got Roxas in his own room right now, but I'm afraid Naminé is still in surgery. Follow me," he led them from the small waiting room they'd been in, taking them down a series of hallways and stopping in front of an individual patient room, number 242.

Before opening the door, he spoke in a hushed tone, "Roxas might not look like he's very bad right now, but don't let that fool you. I'm going to be very frank right now, Mr. and Mrs. Strife: the chances of Roxas ever walking again are less than five percent. He's going to have no feeling in his lower half for a long while, and after some time, he might get a sensation similar to what happens when, say, you lay on your arm for a long period of time and it 'goes to sleep.' He's hooked up on a catheter right now, until he wakes up from the anesthesia. He's got mild whiplash in his neck and his left arm was fractured in a few places. We've got him hooked up to ventilator as well, because his lungs were affected by the airbag, but that's just temporary. When he wakes up, please don't hesitate to call for me and we'll take the tube out of his mouth." Doctor Evans opened the door to the brightly lit room.

Cloud, Tifa, and Riku all entered, and Doctor Evans excused himself to go check on Naminé, so he would have an update on her for them.

Roxas seemed very peaceful on the bed. He had the tube in his mouth and the ventilator was breathing for him. There were two lines for IVs, one connected to his left hand and the other in the crook of his elbow on his right arm. The doctor had failed to mention the bruises and scratch-like cuts that littered the blonde's skin.

Tifa, careful to not step on any of the tubes surrounding her son, sat on the edge of the bed, grasping Roxas' hand in her own. "My baby," she sobbed quietly. Cloud sat down in one of the chairs on the other side of Roxas' bed. Next to him, in the other chair, was a bag of Roxas' possessions, including his cell phone. Deciding to busy himself, he went through the belongings. The clothes Roxas was in when he arrived at the hospital had been cut off of him and had several small areas where blood had stained them.

Cloud looked at the cell phone in the bag, noticing the small LED light blinking. When he unlocked the device, he saw four missed calls and seven text messages from Roxas' best friend Axel. Cloud and Tifa were good friends with the redhead's mother and father, and Cloud pulled out his own phone, scrolling to Yuffie's number, and dialing. He hoped she was still awake.

"_Cloud? Hey. What's up? You never call me. Especially not this late at night. Everything alright?_"

"No, Yuffie, nothing's alright… The kids were… they were hit by another car on the highway, on their way to meet Tifa and me for dinner." He stood now, taking the call out to the hallway. He left the door cracked behind him as he stood just outside of the room.

"_Oh my God, Cloud, I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do for you guys? Do you need anything?_" She was so sincere, and Cloud teared up again while she spoke.

"I don't think we need anything right now, but I was calling because I'd seen some messages from Axel on Roxas' phone. Would you be able to tell him what's going on? We'll have to call the school in the morning and alert them so Roxas doesn't have to worry about his assignments…" Cloud trailed off.

"_Oh, of course I'll tell him. How is Roxas by the way? And Naminé and Ventus?_"

"The doctor said Roxas may not walk ever again, that his chances are less than five percent… And he's got some whiplash and a couple fractures in his left arm… And he's covered in bruises and scratches… The only update we got on Naminé was from when she was in the ambulance. They said her right leg was majorly damaged and her right arm was broken. They didn't know anything about her baby, only that her stomach was pretty cut up, but the paramedics said they stitched those cuts. And Ven…" Cloud sobbed at what he was about to say. "Ven was pronounced dead on the scene…"

Yuffie gasped, "_Ven's dead? Oh, Cloud… I'm… I'm sorry. How are you and Tifa holding up?_"

"We're… well, we're not okay… I don't think it's really, fully sunk in yet…"

"_Hey, if there's anything at all I can do for you, please let me know. I'm more than happy to help you out with anything. I mean that. I'll come by the hospital tomorrow after I take Axel to school. Is there anything you want me to bring for you guys? Clean clothes or something?_"

Cloud was grateful to have such a supportive friend in this ordeal. "Um… If you wanna grab some clothes for Tifa, I'm sure she'd appreciate it. I was gonna go home to take a shower tomorrow, so I can wait until you get here to leave. And… some coffee would be great, Yuf."

"_Coffee and clothes for Tifa… got it. I guess… I'll see you in the morning, then?_"

"Yea. See you then." He hung up the phone then. He wiped the tears staining his face and tried to compose himself as he went back in the room. He might as well try to doze a little bit, since he was sure it would take a while for Roxas to wake up. And who knew how long the update on Naminé would take?

~o~

After Yuffie hung up the phone with Cloud, she took a few minutes to steel herself for the conversation she was about to have with Axel. She knew he wouldn't want to go to school in the morning when he heard the news, but until Roxas was able to handle visitors, she wasn't going to let her son miss school.

Yuffie knocked on the door to Axel's room, seeing a dim light underneath the door. She called, "Axel? You awake honey?" She peered in, seeing Axel in bed with the rest of his homework scattered around him.

"Hey mom," he said, not really looking up from his work.

"Can we talk, Axel? I just got off the phone with Cloud." She fully opened the door, coming inside and taking a seat on the bed in the only spot that wasn't taken up with a textbook or notebook.

"Yea, sure," he replied, setting aside what he was working on. "What's up?"

"Well… Apparently after Roxas left, he was on his way with his brother and sister to go meet Cloud and Tifa for dinner… And I guess when they got to the highway, they were hit by another car. They're in the hospital right now, Axel."

"What?" Axel was floored. He figured Roxas had just forgotten to text him and fell asleep or something. "Is he… He's gonna be okay, right?"

"He'll _survive_. But Axel, the doctor said Roxas has less than a five percent chance of ever walking again."

"Oh, God, Roxas…" Tears filled Axel's eyes as he thought about his best friend. "Do they know anything about Ven and Naminé yet?"

"They said Naminé had some damage to one of her legs, and she has a broken arm, but no word on her baby yet. And Ven was… He's dead, honey…" Yuffie was quiet as she let the news sink in.

Axel didn't know what to say or do. His best friend was in the hospital, and said best friend's little brother was dead. He swore he'd do whatever it took to help Roxas through everything. They weren't best friends for nothing.

"I wanna go see him tomorrow."

"I knew you'd say that, Axel, but I don't want you missing school. And besides that, I don't know if he can even have visitors outside of family right now. I'm going to go take some clean clothes by the hospital tomorrow for Tifa, and I'll find out while I'm there if he can have visitors by the time school is over. Okay?"

Axel had no choice but to accept her answer. "Fine…"

"I know this is a hard situation and that you want to be there with him, but you understand what I said, right?"

"Yea… I know where you're coming from."

"Okay. And Axel?" The redhead looked back up at Yuffie. "Try to get some sleep tonight." She closed the door behind her, leaving Axel to himself.

~o~

It was about three in the morning by the time Naminé was out of surgery. Roxas was wheeled to the room where his sister was, Tifa, Cloud, and Riku following behind the nurses closely. It was at that time that Doctor Evans came back to them. He kept them from going into the room (315) until he was able to give them an update on her condition.

He addressed Riku, "I'm assuming you're the baby's father?"

"Yes, sir."

"Alright. Before I tell you about Naminé, I wanted you to know, we had to perform an emergency C-Section for the baby. There was some internal bleeding that Naminé had that was causing pressure to build up in her uterus. The child has been moved to the NICU, and is under close observation until we're sure he's out of the woods. You'll have to help fill out paperwork about his birth certificate and such, but it can wait until Naminé wakes up." Doctor Evans turned to Tifa and Cloud now.

"As for your daughter… We got the bleeding to stop when we performed the Caesarean section and got her stabilized. Unfortunately, with her leg being so badly damaged, we weren't able to repair it. That left us with amputation as the only option, so we amputated above the knee. Her right arm is now in a cast as well. She's still under the effects of anesthesia as well, but her lungs weren't affected like Roxas' were, so she doesn't need the ventilator. She's just got a breathing mask on now. If you'd like to go see the baby, let one of the nurses know and they'll take you."

As before, Doctor Evans excused himself, this time to check on other patients. Riku was torn… should he stay with his girlfriend until she woke up? Or should he go see their… son? He stood in the hallway, not sure at all where he should go. When he didn't immediately follow them in, Cloud turned back around, seeing Riku obviously stunned.

"Riku," Cloud said. Riku looked at the blonde. "You've got your phone on you right?" At Riku's nod, he continued, "Go be with your son. We'll call you if she wakes up. But your son needs you more right now."

"Thank you," Riku seemed grateful to have someone make his mind up for him. He hugged Cloud briefly before walking to the nurses' station to be taken to the NICU. Cloud was momentarily taken aback. After the initial shock, he joined Tifa and sat with her on the window seat. They were solemn and quiet. Cloud was sitting with Tifa between his legs, stretched out on the small bench. She reclined against him, and he stroked her arm in an effort to relax her. They were in for a long night.

~o~

Riku followed a brunette nurse, whose name was Aerith, to the NICU. He understood the reason for moving Roxas to this floor; not only so he could be in the same room as his sister, but so anyone visiting them could also visit the NICU, which was on the third floor. He didn't know what to expect. He and Naminé had discussed names, but they hadn't decided on one yet.

Aerith asked the new father, "Is yours the new arrival?"

He looked at her kind green eyes, nodding. She commented, "He seems like a fighter. I've got a good feeling about him. Don't be too shocked by all the equipment he's hooked up to; we've got a small feeding tube leading to his stomach through his nose, an IV for steroids to help his lungs develop faster, and a ventilator since he can't breathe on his own yet." Aerith led Riku to one of the incubators in the mostly dark room, and Riku – though not affected by the sight of the tubes and machines – was surprised at just how little the baby was.

The baby's incubator had some information on the end of it, listing him at 14 inches long and weighing just 2 pounds and 6 ounces. Aerith stood at the end of the incubator, ready to add at least a last name to the information. "Is he going to have your last name?"

"Yes. Shibuya." Riku told the nurse, listening to her pen _scritch-scratch_ on the paper as she listed his last name on the paper. "I'll leave you to have some bonding time then. I'm sorry about the circumstances of his birth though," Aerith said, referencing Naminé.

"Thank you." She walked away then, leaving Riku to sit with his son. He and Naminé had wanted the gender to be a surprise, but he had been positive that Naminé would have a girl. He smiled sadly down at the tiny baby.

"Hey there, kiddo. You're going to hang on until your mommy gets to meet you, right? She'll be so happy to know you're alright. You'll be able to help her recover faster, especially since your uncle Ven didn't make it through. You'll be the light she needs to get through everything." Riku sat in silence after that, occasionally looking out the window as the sky got progressively lighter.

He got a text around four that Roxas had woken up. He sent back a quick reply, asking how he was doing.

_From: Cloud  
__4:03 AM_

_He's really groggy from the medicine. He doesn't really understand what's going on yet. Doc is gonna take the tube out of his mouth, but said Roxas will probably be sleeping for a while yet._

Riku replied with a simple '_keep me updated_' and went back to watching his son again. The sun began to rise outside.

* * *

**A/N**: So. Baby is born, Roxas is still doped up on meds, and Nami is still out cold. I meant to have Hayner's point of view, but it seems as though I have to wait till the next chapter to include that. I wanted to get this chapter uploaded because I'm going to St. Louis over the weekend because one of my cousins is graduating high school, and I won't have access to my laptop while I'm away. I plan to get started on chapter 5 after I get home from this trip. Hope this will hold you guys over! It's the longest chapter so far (but it's really short, sorry). In the meantime, send me some reviews! I'll reply as soon as I can. I hope you guys are still enjoying this.

Fun fact: this is the fastest I've updated a multi-chapter story. Ever.


	5. Chapter 5

Around seven in the morning, Naminé was released from the hold of the anesthesia. She was still groggy, but nowhere near how Roxas was when he woke up the first time. Cloud noticed her fluttering her eyes, but could do nothing but stay where he was. Tifa had fallen asleep against his chest in the time that they'd been sitting on the window seat. He hated that he would have to wake her up since he knew that neither of them would be getting much sleep now, but he also knew his wife would kill him if he let her sleep now.

"Tifa," he spoke lowly, not wanting to startle her. "Tif, hon, time to wake up," he shook her lightly, "Naminé's awake."

Tifa stirred and woke up, a confused expression crossing her face for a moment before she remembered where she was. She got up and stretched before moving over to stand next to her daughter. The tears came back as she said a quiet, "Hi sweetie."

In the time that Tifa had woken up, Cloud had sent a message to Riku, letting him know that Naminé was awake. A few minutes passed, and another doctor came in to check on the siblings. He said it was a good thing that they'd both woken up from the anesthesia and that they were sure to make excellent progress. The doctor left, and Riku still hadn't shown up.

"Tifa, baby?" He got her attention. "I'm gonna go find Riku."

"Okay. Be back soon."

The blonde left the room, asking one of the nurses at the desk to take him to the NICU. When he arrived, he saw why Riku hadn't come immediately after receiving Cloud's text. The new father was fast asleep next to the incubator, his hand resting inside through one of the circles cut out of the incubator. What Cloud saw from that though made him tear up a little. The baby had reached out and grabbed the tip of Riku's pinky finger at some point. The sight pulled at his heartstrings. The blonde snapped a couple pictures on his phone before waking Riku up.

He shook the younger man's shoulder, making Riku sit up slowly.

"Mr. Strife? What's going on? Did Naminé wake up?" Cloud nodded.

"She woke up a few minutes ago; I had to come find you because you didn't reply to my text. Although I hate to take you away from your son…" The blonde looked back at the baby's hand on Riku's finger. Riku became aware of the tiny hold on him then, gasping.

"Hey there, champ… Look, I don't want to leave you, but I have to go see your mommy. I promise I'll be back soon, okay? I love you, little guy. Maybe today we'll figure out a name for you… Be strong for both of us." Riku pulled his hand out of the incubator, standing. He looked at Cloud to follow him back to Naminé and Roxas' room, and Cloud had a small smile on his face. Riku quirked an eyebrow at him.

"You'll make a great father, Riku."

"Th-thank you… sir. That means so much to me, especially coming from you."

Cloud pulled Riku to him in a quick hug, saying, "Welcome to the family… officially."

Riku was momentarily stunned. Cloud was a normally stoic man, not speaking much, and generally expressionless. This version of Cloud was throwing him off, but he returned the gesture anyway. The two broke apart and Cloud led the way back to Naminé's room.

By the time the two men arrived back in the room, Naminé appeared more alert and aware of what was going on.

"Riku? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in class right now." Naminé scolded her boyfriend.

"I called the office last night and the person I spoke to left a message with my teacher, excusing me from that test…" Riku was quiet for a moment. "Do you… remember why you're in the hospital, Nami?" He sat down on the side of her bed, taking her hands in his own.

The blonde shook her head 'no' and cringed when she felt the slight pain in her neck.

"You were in an accident, babe. You were on the highway, Roxas was driving, and another car struck you guys… You were hurt pretty bad…" He explained solemnly.

That small explanation was all it took for Naminé's memory to catch her up, playing back bits and pieces of what had happened up until she blacked out. She frowned, afraid to ask what had happened to Ventus. She couldn't remember.

"Where's Ven? Why isn't he here with us?" She spoke quietly. She feared the worst when nobody responded. Riku looked away from her then.

"Oh God… Is he…?" Naminé couldn't finish the question. She was met with silence for an answer. "Oh my God, Ven! No!" She began sobbing and Riku hugged her tight, letting her tears soak into his jacket. He didn't know what else to do but let her grieve and cry. He stroked her hair and kissed her temple. She held fast to his arm, and Riku cried with her.

Tifa watched the two of them with a heavy heart. She sniffled, and Cloud wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Let's give them a little bit of privacy," he said. Tifa nodded and allowed herself to be pulled from the room. As they entered the hallway, Ansem came over.

"I heard you have a new addition now, to your family. I wanted to come say congratulations."

"Thank you, Doctor Wise…" Cloud trailed off.

"It's my pleasure. Are you two free for the moment?" He asked the parents.

They looked at each other, knowing what he was _really_ asking. If they could go ID Ven and fill out the paperwork for his death certificate and funeral arrangements. Tifa nodded, saying, "Yes."

"Follow me then, please." He took them to the elevator and pushed the button for the basement floor, where the morgue was located. The couple tried to prepare themselves, not really knowing what to expect. Ansem had them stand in front of a large window that had a white curtain blocking the other side. He pressed a button on an intercom-like system that allowed him to speak with whomever was on the other side of the window.

"Zexion, I've brought the parents for identification. Please remove the curtain from the viewing window." The light on the intercom system went off, and the white curtain was pulled back, revealing a rather short man that Cloud assumed was the medical examiner. He had slate gray hair and black metal-rimmed glasses. His hair was long in the front, but it was stuck behind his ear.

Zexion moved away from the window and towards the metal table in the middle of the room. He grabbed the edges of the white sheet covering the body and looked up, as if asking, 'Are they ready?' Ansem nodded. Zexion pulled the sheet back far enough to expose the bare shoulders of the body.

Tifa stared and stared, eyes welling up with more tears, the salty water escaping and leaving tracks down her cheeks. "Oh, Ven…" She put her hand up to the window and blinked hard, trying to rid her eyes of the excess moisture. Cloud's hand fit over hers as he silently let his own tears fall. The blonde looked at Ansem, and nodded, confirming that this was their son.

Tifa looked away then, not able to bear the sight of her youngest son's body lying on a cold metal table, knowing that he was dead. She turned around and buried her face into Cloud's chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against himself. Zexion needed no instructions and pulled the sheet back up to cover Ven's body. He closed the curtain, and Ansem looked at the grieving couple with a sad expression on his face.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. and Mrs. Strife. And I'm sorry that you had to do this. Unfortunately, it's necessary when we have someone who dies before paramedics arrive… Please, come to my office with me. I'll help you get started on the paperwork." He began to lead them back upstairs to go to his office.

Cloud sent a text to Riku to let him know that they would be back after a while, that they were filling out paperwork and making arrangements for Ven's funeral.

_From: Riku  
__7:48 AM_

_You guys take your time with that. I know it's hard, and I can't begin to imagine what you're going through, but don't feel like you have to rush. Nam's gone back to sleep because she exhausted herself crying. Roxas is still asleep, so nothing new happening. Stay strong._

Cloud took the words of encouragement to his heart, knowing he would need them. Planning for a child's funeral is something no parent should ever have to do, and the blonde didn't know how hard it would be for him and Tifa, especially with the overwhelming emotions they'd been experiencing over the last several hours. Grief, because of Ven, and the circumstances surrounding Roxas and Naminé. Happiness that the two older siblings were still alive. Joy and worry for Naminé's baby. Anger at the other driver… It was exhausting trying to keep it all in check.

~o~

In another single patient room on the second floor, Hayner was being woken up again by his doctor. The doctors and nurses said he had a concussion and that he was lucky he wasn't more seriously injured. He didn't feel lucky though. He'd heard the announcement of one of the people in the car he hit being DOA when he was on his way to the hospital in the ambulance. He'd killed someone because of his reckless behavior, and he had no idea how bad the other people in the car were.

He didn't know how Pence was either. He remembered seeing the chubby brunette unconscious in the seat beside him, bleeding from his temple. And then he'd blacked out and woken up again in the ambulance. The hospital called his mom who ended up calling Olette, both of whom came to visit him immediately. When they'd asked him what happened, he was overwhelmed with guilt and regret for his decisions.

He'd choked out what he could remember happening, bursting into tears halfway through his explanation. When he told them why the crash had happened, why he'd been in the other lane, he wasn't expecting the silence. He was expecting the slap that came from Olette across his cheek. He was also expecting the yelling that came afterwards. He agreed with what Olette was saying. How could he have been so stupid? So irresponsible? Olette had stormed out of the room and left the hospital, wanting to cool down before going to see Pence. His mom sat there quietly. The only words she said were, "I'm so disappointed in you." She left too.

In his room, Hayner curled into the fetal position on his bed. He screamed and cried until he finally fell back asleep, seeing the word 'killer' all over his mind in a dream.

~o~

Around ten thirty, Naminé woke back up, seeing Riku at her side. She thought back to what he'd told her about Ven, and her heart shattered. A piece of her died with him and nothing would be able to ever completely fill that void again. But she had Roxas still, and her parents. She had Riku, and her baby… _My baby!_ She sat up quickly with that thought, but slid back down when she could only feel one foot pushing up against the mattress.

Her movements woke Riku up, and he could see how quickly she was upsetting herself again.

"Nami, hey."

His words broke her out of the trap her mind had put her in.

"Riku!" She didn't understand what had happened. She clutched onto him and he whispered kind words into her ear in an effort to calm her down some.

"Listen, Nam, I gotta get the doctor in here so he can tell you what happened after you got here, okay?" She nodded. About that time, Roxas stirred on his bed. Riku went out to the hallway to get a nurse so that the doctor could be paged. He sent a text to Cloud, letting him and Tifa know what was going on. Cloud replied, saying that they were almost done with the paperwork and would be back shortly.

He entered the room again, seeing Roxas finally waking up. Riku knew that he'd have a lot to process. He pulled the oxygen mask off of his face that had replaced the ventilator tube when he'd woken up from anesthesia earlier. His throat was sore, and he sounded hoarse as he asked, "What happened?"

"You're in the hospital, Roxas. I'll let the doctor explain why. It's a lot to try to understand right now, and you'll want to have all your questions answered with him, I'm sure," Riku explained.

Just then, the doctor knocked on the door, stepping through into the room. He had long white-blond hair and very tan skin. His eyes were a golden amber color; his most prominent feature. When he spoke, his voice seemed to resonate within the room.

"Good morning, Roxas, Naminé," he said, nodding to each sibling in turn. "I'm Doctor King. I'll be your main doctor during the daytime. I'm glad to see that both of you are awake now. Do you both know why you're here?" He looked at the two blondes. Naminé nodded, but Roxas shook his head.

"Roxas," the doctor looked at him. "You were driving and got into an accident. Another driver struck your vehicle and caused some severe injuries. You may have noticed that your left arm is in a sling. That's because it got fractured in three places. You've got some whiplash as well, which is to be expected with any car crash. However, the most serious injury you sustained was to your spinal cord." Doctor King was silent then.

"I remember the paramedic saying that when they were trying to get me out of the car…" Roxas trailed off.

"The injury caused paralysis, Roxas." The blonde's eyes went wide.

"W-what? I'm… paralyzed?" Roxas didn't know what to think. "Do I have any chance of walking ever again?"

"Less than a five percent chance, I'm afraid. You're going to have no feeling in your legs for quite some time; at least six months. After that, you may experience some tingling sensations, similar to when a limb goes to sleep. It might start to get painful when that happens, so after some time, we'll prescribe something for the pain."

The blonde was stunned to silence. He'd have to live the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He'd always need someone else to take care of him. His life was forever changed, and he couldn't do anything about it.

Doctor King turned to Naminé to resume speaking. "Naminé, you suffered severe injuries as well. Like Roxas, you have whiplash, and your right arm was broken in two places. Your right leg was so tangled up in the car that it caused irreparable damage, and forced us to amputate above your knee." Naminé gasped at that. "There is good news though, and that's that you can be fitted for a prosthetic leg after your arm heals, and you'll be able to walk normally with the help of some physical therapy."

Riku held onto her hand, twining their fingers.

"And what about my baby?" She asked.

"When you got here, we found some internal bleeding that was putting pressure on your uterus. We performed an emergency C-Section to save you and your child. He's receiving care in the NICU right now."

"It's a boy? We have a son?" Tears came to her eyes. "Can I see him?"

"I'll see if I can get a wheelchair brought in for you," Doctor King said. "For right now, though, I'm sure you both are hungry. Would you like to eat?"

Naminé's stomach growled at the thought of food. Roxas shook his head, however. He didn't feel like eating anything.

"I'll have a nurse bring some food by for you. Let me just check your vitals before I take my leave." Doctor King picked up the clipboard at the end of Naminé's bed, bringing it with him as he pulled in a small machine from the hallway. The machine looked to be connected to a blood pressure cuff and a small tray below the monitor held a thermometer.

Naminé offered her arm to the doctor, allowing him to wrap the cuff around it. He turned the monitor on, letting the cuff fill with air while he placed the oxygen-saturation probe on her finger. As the monitor was measuring her vital signs, Doctor King ran the thermometer across her forehead. He marked down the temperature on her chart, waiting for the monitor to finish its reading. When the cuff began to deflate itself, he wrote those results down as well. He removed the cuff and probe only to repeat the process with Roxas.

"Alright, I'll have some food brought up along with a wheelchair. I'll be back in a while to check on you again." With that, Doctor King left the room.

A few minutes after he left, Cloud and Tifa came back to the room, both teary-eyed. Riku moved out of the way as Tifa came over to Naminé and hugged her. When she moved to hug Roxas, Cloud came over and hugged her as well. He followed after his wife and gave a hug to his son too.

"I'm so glad you're both awake now," Tifa said. Before she could say much else, everyone heard a 'knock-knock' from the doorway. In came Yuffie, carrying coffee and a plastic bag with some clothes for Tifa.

"Hey everyone," Yuffie said, looking over at Roxas. She could tell he was slipping into depression, and fast. "Hi Roxas," she spoke softly, handing off the items she brought to Cloud.

"Hi Mrs. V." He sounded so heartbroken. Yuffie's heart went out to him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him.

"Like hell," he said, voice cracking as he struggled not to cry.

Yuffie frowned, not at all sure how to help him. She pulled him into a hug and he squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the tears leak. Cloud, Tifa, Riku, and Naminé were carrying on a conversation on the other side of the room.

"I told this to your parents, but if there's anything I can help you with, Roxas, you be sure to let me know. Whatever it is. I know how close you are to Axel, and I've come to love you like my own son, and I want to help you in any way I can. Okay?"

"Okay," Roxas nodded. Yuffie squeezed him again and let go.

"If the hospital staff say it's okay, would you feel up to seeing Axel today after he gets out of school?"

Roxas cracked a small smile at that, saying, "Yea, definitely." The black-haired woman winked at him then, standing.

She walked over to where Tifa was standing, next to Naminé's bed and hugged the other woman. Tifa was acting strong, but everyone could tell how much the death of her youngest son was affecting her. Her eyes seemed distant, and her entire demeanor was subdued. And that was saying a lot for Tifa. Yuffie pulled her out the door so they could go take a walk and talk.

Cloud announced he would be back after a little while; that he was going to go home and shower, and then work on trying to make things at the house easier for the siblings to get around.

Naminé suggested that Riku go home and take a shower as well to refresh himself since he'd been there all night. He kissed her cheek, saying a quick 'I love you' before heading out.

A nurse came in a few minutes after the room cleared out to bring food for both of them, despite Roxas saying he wasn't hungry. While she was there, Roxas decided to ask whether he could have visitors outside of his family.

"Well, you're not contagious with anything. So long as you feel up to it, then yes. But don't have too many people here at one time. The doctors and other nurses will still need to get in here to do vitals checks on both you and your sister. Sound fair?"

Roxas nodded, and the nurse said she would be back after they ate and would bring a wheelchair for Naminé so she could go see her baby. While she dug into her food, Roxas thought about his little brother. He couldn't help but think how much he was going to need his best friend now more than ever before to get him through the loss he was feeling.

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry this took me so long, guys! I didn't get back home from St. Louis until Sunday night/Monday morning. Good news is that I got to spend some quality time with my family that I rarely get to see (I'm meaning I see them maybe twice a year for Thanksgiving and Christmas) and OH MY GOODNESS MY BABY COUSINS ARE ADORABLE. While I was up there, I also got to see two of my older cousins (older than the babies, younger than me), one of which graduated high school on Friday! Crazy times y'all. Oh, and I got to see a Cardinals game too! ^^ Lots of fun times were had. (: After I got back though, I ended up staying up till about 6 a.m. and sleeping until about 4:30 in the afternoon that day... Oops. I've been working since I got back too, so that's why this chapter took me longer than the others did.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Also: LONGEST CHAPTER SO FAR. Whoo!


	6. Chapter 6

Naminé sat back in her bed, trying to get used to the feeling of _not_ feeling in her right leg. She was in some discomfort, despite her access to strong pain medications like morphine, but she was determined to not use any unless her pain became absolutely unbearable. She noticed that Roxas hadn't touched the white Styrofoam box their lunches had been brought in, and she wondered how he was coping. There was so much to take in. So much that had happened… Naminé knew she'd be okay in the end, because she had Riku and her baby, their friends, and she was so close with their parents, but she was worried about her little brother. He really only had his best friend, despite what Yuffie may have said earlier. She felt a little guilty that she wasn't closer with Roxas and was determined to fix it.

"Roxas?" She spoke up.

He looked up at her, as though only just remembering that she was there.

"How are you holding up?" She had a small frown on her face, and immediately Roxas thought that it didn't suit her delicate features.

"I'm… I'm kinda just numb to everything right now, Nam… I don't… I don't know how to process any of it." His voice was void of emotion. The older sibling's heart broke.

"I don't really know what to tell you, Roxas, other than that… well, I'm here. Through everything, I'm here. And I know that's going to get old, hearing that phrase, but it's the best I can come up with. I'm just thankful you're still here with me."

"I know, Nam… I just… I don't understand it. I mean… Why _Ven_? Why did it have to be him and not me?"

"Roxas…"

"His life was only just beginning for God's sake! He was only ten… Between us all, it should have been me…" Roxas sobbed. Tears welled in his sister's eyes. She realized he was facing the mountain of survivor's guilt. Some of the cases she'd studied in her medical classes, before getting pregnant, mentioned it and she knew it was a hard road, and for someone as young as Roxas… It was going to be struggle for him just to live from day to day.

She knew that everyone involved would have to have some serious therapy and counseling to work through all the emotions and feelings and absolute grief. And despite Naminé's calm outward appearance, internally she was at war with herself. She wanted so bad to just be happy that she was alive, that her baby was alive, but how could she be when her baby brother's life had ended so abruptly? She knew he would want her to be happy, but there was nothing joyous about another's life being taken so suddenly.

The siblings sat in silence for a while then, each contemplating how on earth they were going to move past this tragedy.

~o~

Riku was a little glad his girlfriend had dismissed him, because dear lord, he _reeked_. He hadn't had much of a chance to shower within the last two days between studying for his test and then staying at the hospital. He stripped off his clothing when he got into his bedroom, grabbing a clean pair of boxers and a towel before stepping into the bathroom.

He turned the water on, letting it get warm before easing himself into the spray. He let the water soak into his muscles, taking a deep breath and letting it out, feeling himself relax. He wondered how the baby was doing right now, if anything had changed in the time that he'd been gone. His thoughts shifted to Naminé as he set about washing himself and ridding himself of the odor that clung to him like a second skin.

As the water washed the suds away down the drain, Riku got a small amount of shampoo, lathering it into his long, silver hair. He still couldn't completely wrap his brain around the idea that he now had his own small family. He'd had a plan for a romantic evening with Naminé today, after he got out of his test. Just spending the day with her, maybe even getting the essential furniture his best friend had helped him find for cheap on craigslist – Sora was a godsend when it came to that site. After setting up the nursery with Naminé's instruction, he'd wanted to take her out to a nice restaurant and finally ask the question he'd been building up the courage to ask since he first learned she was pregnant with their child.

And hell, it was about time he did too – they'd been dating for more than two years now. But after getting a phone call from a very frantic Cloud, to meet him and Tifa at the hospital because Naminé was in an accident, he was frazzled and his nerves were shot. And learning everything he had about said accident, he knew he'd have to wait because if he asked Naminé to marry him right now, how inappropriate would that be? Her youngest brother was dead, and she and her other brother were seriously injured, and his own child had been born prematurely because of the injuries his girlfriend sustained. He wanted to wait until some time had passed, because he wanted the moment to be right.

Sora's girlfriend Kairi had helped him pick out the perfect ring as well when Riku revealed his intentions. She'd asked Naminé if she could borrow one of the blonde's rings – Naminé only wore them on her ring fingers, which were both the same size – and had given it to Riku to take with him so he knew what size ring to purchase. The redhead mentioned Naminé's love of the rose gold metal, and that little nudge was enough to allow Riku to find the right ring. It was the pinkish metal of course, and a large round diamond sat on top, with both sides of the band boasting infinity symbols made of smaller round diamonds. Kairi had squealed when she saw it, so Riku knew it was perfect then.

The box said ring was in was still sitting in his dresser, hidden under a row of socks in case Naminé suspected anything and snooped. Riku sighed. When would be the right moment after all this? The water began to run cold, pulling him from his thoughts. He heard the front door close, and he hurried to at least get his towel around him after shutting the water off. He figured it was his best friend, coming to check on him. After all, the class he'd had a test in today, Sora was in as well.

"Riku? You there?" Sora called from the hallway.

"In the bathroom, Sor!" He hollered back, drying off and slipping on his boxers. The footsteps in the hallway got a little louder as the brunette stopped outside of the bathroom door.

"Where were you, Ri? Did you forget about the test and sleep in or something?" He was asking as the door opened, the steam built up hitting Sora square in the face. He stepped back a little, allowing the vapor to empty into the hallway.

Riku moved to his bedroom, pulling out a fresh pair of jeans, a black t-shirt with some kind of yellow logo, and a clean pair of socks. After he was dressed, he sprayed some Axe – the kind Naminé bought for him – and pulled his beat up black Converse on again.

"No, I didn't forget it. I called the office last night and was given a pardon from it…" he trailed off.

"A pardon? What happened?" Sora knew they didn't just hand out pardons left and right.

Riku sighed before jumping into an explanation, telling Sora what had happened the night before, explaining Ven's death, a rundown of the injuries the siblings had, as well as his son's birth.

By the end of the explanation, Sora's mouth was wide open. Riku had to physically close the brunette's mouth for him. To say Sora was speechless was an understatement. A few minutes passed in silence afterward. Then finally, Sora spoke again.

"So… you seem to be taking this exceptionally well…"

"I have to, Sor. My girlfriend's entire world is now completely different and I have to be there for her. Her family too. And I need to be strong for my son…" Riku trailed off.

"Speaking of him, does he have a name? I know you and Naminé were discussing ideas for names, but did you ever decide on one?"

"No, we never officially decided. I need to talk it over with her today, when she goes to visit him. And that might be happening soon, so I should probably get back to the hospital. But do you think you could do me a favor?" The silver-haired man asked.

"Yea, sure. Whatever you need," Sora replied.

"Would you and Kairi be able to go and pick up the furniture for the nursery and get it assembled for me? I know we won't be bringing the baby home for a while, but having that stuff already taken care of would help me out a lot."

"Yea, sure. I might see if Tidus can help me out too. Some of the stuff is probably going to be pretty heavy and I don't know if Kairi would be able to lift it."

"Thanks so much, Sora. If you want, you can ride with me to the hospital and pop in to see her and take my car to go pick everything up. I'm sure it can hold it all better than your car since the trunk space is so much bigger. And that way, you're not using your gas."

"Sounds good. Though I don't want to see Naminé without Kairi being there too. Think we could pick her up along the way? She should be getting out of class right now."

"That's fine. Thank you again. That's gonna be such a major help right now."

"No thanks necessary, Ri. I mean, I'm your best friend. What am I gonna do, say no?" Sora pulled Riku into a hug, and he could feel how weary the silver-haired man was. The brunette felt so bad for him; how on earth could anyone be expected to deal with the particular shit-storm life had thrown out for the Strife family, and for Riku?

As the two separated, Riku reached for a small hair-tie and pulled his still wet hair into a loose ponytail, some of the strands still hanging down around his face. He took a deep breath, letting all of his stress momentarily disappear with the air he breathed out. He grabbed his keys from the spot on his nightstand where he always put them when he got home and said, "Let's go." Sora followed him wordlessly out the door, locking it behind him.

He slid into the passenger seat, pulling out his cell phone to text Kairi and let her know that they were going to be picking her up. The drive to Kingdom University where the childhood friends all went to school was mostly quiet, the only noises coming from the hushed purr of the engine and the tires against the pavement. Riku pulled his charcoal gray Pontiac Torrent up in front of the student center, where Kairi said she would be waiting. Within moments, the redhead emerged. She was wearing a black tank top with a decorative rhinestone cross, a green and black plaid skirt, and flip-flops, perfect for the summery temperatures Traverse Town was experiencing.

Sora got out of the car and walked around to the driver's side of the vehicle, opening the door in the back for her. He gave her a quick peck on the lips and hurried back around to get in the front again. Kairi spoke as Riku pulled away from the university and towards the hospital on the other end of town.

"Hey guys. What's going on? Did we have plans that I forgot about?" Riku let Sora do the talking.

"No, nothing like that, Kai… You know how Naminé just randomly stopped texting you last night?" She nodded.

"She was in an accident with her brothers and another driver. She's in the hospital with some pretty bad injuries, but she's awake. And uh… she had her baby too. So we're going to go see her for a few minutes, but Riku wanted us to go get the baby furniture he got on craigslist and put it together for him." Sora left out the part about Ven dying, but Riku didn't really notice. He was concentrating on the road. Kairi didn't say anything, and the atmosphere in the car was somber. The rest of the ride to the hospital was quiet.

When they arrived, Sora took Kairi's hand, twining their fingers as Riku led the way to Naminé and Roxas' room. The silver-haired man asked them to stay in the hallway while he asked Naminé if she would be okay to have them in. They stood patiently, knowing her injuries, but not knowing what to expect when they actually saw her. Riku came out and told them it was okay for them to come in. He went back through the doorway, not waiting for them.

"You ready, Kai?" Sora asked, taking a deep breath and hoping he didn't start to stare at the blonde.

"Yea. I'm good," the redhead replied. Sora nodded and pulled her gently along into the overly white room. Kairi immediately detached herself from her boyfriend and ran over to her best friend, hugging her tightly with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Naminé! I'm so glad you're alright! I mean… for the most part, and you're gonna be okay in the long run and… I should probably stop talking," Kairi bowed her head down, embarrassed.

Naminé giggled at the redhead and held her as she said, "Kai, it's alright. And yes, I will be okay in due time. After all, I have a precious baby boy now to look after, and… being a mother will help me deal with everything that happened." The blonde became misty-eyed as she spoke. "And the doctor told me I can be fitted for a prosthetic leg once my arm heals enough. I know physical therapy is going to be really difficult, which is why he's holding off until my arm is healed… I think, anyway."

Kairi pulled away from the embrace and moved so Sora could hug the blonde. He said quietly, "It's good to see you, Nami." He squeezed her briefly before pulling back and moving to sit in one of the room's chairs. Riku sat next to him while Kairi stayed seated on the side of the blonde's bed.

Naminé glanced over at her brother, who appeared to be sleeping. She sighed, frowning.

"Guys, I'm really worried about Roxas… We were talking earlier, after everyone left, and he was saying stuff like 'why couldn't it have been me instead of Ven' and 'it should have been me' and I don't know how to help him."

Kairi's brows furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, him instead of Ven?"

Naminé sagged as she said, "He died in the accident…" Kairi gasped. The Strifes were basically her other family since she and Naminé had been best friends since childhood, so this was a major blow to her as well.

She cried for the loss she knew the blondes were feeling, and for the hole she felt in her heart, knowing now that the boy who could have been her own little brother was gone. "I'm so sorry, Nami…"

"Thanks, Kai…" Naminé trailed off, sniffling a little. "There's nothing I can do for Ventus now, but if I can help Roxas, somehow, I want to… I just don't know what to do for him. I mean, survivor's guilt is one of the worst things to deal with. It can be such a mental roadblock, and he's already going to have plenty of those in his daily life because he's bound to a wheelchair for as long as he lives…" The blonde's heart broke for her younger brother. She couldn't even imagine going through what he was going through; never being able to walk again would be so horrible, and Naminé was thankful she still had the chance to do so, even if it would be with an artificial leg.

Riku came over to her, sitting on the opposite side of the bed as Kairi, and squeezed her hand. He said, "I don't think there's anything you _can_ do for him, babe. As much as I hate to say that, I think that's something he'll have to work through in therapy and counseling, to deal with on his own terms. But if you can be there for him, then that'll help him out."

"I guess you're right… I just, I feel like I should be able to do more than that for him. I'm his big sister; I'm supposed to protect him and look out for him…"

Riku lifted her face to look at him, stroking his thumb across her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her softly. Naminé responded to him, grasping the hand holding her face. She felt Riku pull back from the kiss, and he rested his forehead against hers. They stayed that way for a moment longer, having a silent conversation with each other as they studied the depths of the others eyes.

Sora cleared his throat, feeling the air become a little awkward with him and Kairi still in the room. The other couple broke from their trance and Riku apologized.

"It's cool man, I was just gonna say that I think Kairi and I are gonna head out."

"Before you go," Naminé said, "can I ask you guys something?"

"Sure, Nam, what is it?" Kairi said, going to stand next to the brunette.

Naminé looked to Riku, who nodded. "This is something that Riku and I have talked about before, when I had just learned I was pregnant, and we were going to wait until the baby got here to ask you but… Would you be his godparents?"

That seemed to stun Sora and Kairi. It was a few minutes before they spoke, and even then, it was only to each other. They were discussing whether or not they'd be able raise a child on their own. Finally, Kairi spoke up.

"We'd be honored, Naminé. I hope that nothing ever happens where we have to act on that, but we've got your back."

The blonde smiled, saying, "Thank you so much!" Riku had his arm around her shoulders and a small smile gracing his features. He dug in his pocket for his keys, handing them over to the brunette.

"We'll see you guys around," Sora said as he took Kairi's hand, leading her from the room.

Naminé snuggled into Riku's side as he stretched out on the bed beside her, thankful to have his two best friends there for him and Naminé. They sat that way for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company, when the nurse who brought the food in came back in with a wheelchair.

"Are you ready to go see your son?"

Naminé's eyes lit up like the fourth of July at that one question as she nodded emphatically.

The nurse and Riku helped her get situated in the wheelchair and Riku pushed her from the room, following the nurse to the NICU.

"Until his lungs are fully developed, we've got him on a ventilator and we have a feeding tube in his nose, as well as an IV for steroids, to help him develop faster; so don't be upset when you see all the machines he's hooked up to, okay?" The nurse spoke to Naminé. Riku already knew from his first visit. Naminé nodded and the nurse walked away, trusting Riku to show the blonde which incubator their son was in.

"What I wasn't told before seeing him was just how tiny he is, Nam. He's two and a half pounds," Riku said to her.

"Okay… I'm ready to see him though." Riku pushed her through the doorway and over to the incubator marked with "Shibuya" on the end. As they came closer, Naminé could see what both the nurse and Riku meant. There was a lot that the tiny baby was hooked up to, but she knew it was necessary for his survival, so she put that out of her mind.

The blonde smiled when she took in the sight of her son, though, happy he was alive and looking to be doing well for being premature. She decided on his name right then. "Hi Joshua," she said, putting her left hand into the incubator through the circular cutout. Her finger was almost as long as his entire arm as she lightly ran it over his tiny, balled up hand.

"What's his middle name, Nami?" Riku asked, still standing behind her, taking in the moment.

"Ventus," she said. "Joshua Ventus Shibuya." Riku smiled, watching as Joshua uncurled his hand long enough to wrap his little fingers around the tip of Naminé's finger, just like he had with Riku earlier.

* * *

**A/N**: I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG GUYS! After I got my laptop back from Best Buy (which they were thankfully able to fix for me), I immediately started this chapter, but between both of my jobs, I just didn't have much time to write. And then over the weekend, my aunt and uncle came to visit, along with my cousin Makenna (who is almost 3 now, holy cow!) and I spent quite a bit of time with them too, between working.

Anyway! I don't know how many of you guys have played KH3D, but if you have, you'll remember the character Joshua from The World Ends With You. Let me just say, I'd planned on naming the baby Joshua since the beginning. When I came up with Riku's last name, it was pretty much on the spot. Over the weekend, I was catching myself up with everything in the series, thanks to several YouTube videos as well as the kh-info-block on Tumblr, and when it mentioned the characters from TWEWY, it also mentioned their home world: SHIBUYA. Let me just say, I was astounded by my own brilliance, because I promise you that coincidence was completely unplanned.

So anyways, let me know what you think so far! Also, next chapter, Axel gets to see Roxas for the first time since the accident. That'll be fun to write! I can't wait to see your reviews and thoughts on everything. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^^


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